Human Evolution and Prehistory [With Infotrac]

I teach physical anthropology at a community college and have twice used this book as a text. Physical anthropology can be a difficult subject to teach, especially at an introductory level, because you have to go over so many necessary basics (biology lite, geology lite, anatomy lite, taxonomy lite, evolutionary history lite, intellectual history lite) before getting into the real substance of the field. Many community college students (and I suspect many 4 year college students as well) have virtually no high school background in Mendelian genetics or Darwinian evolutionary theories. Presenting the material in a sophisticated but non-technical fashion is a real challenge. I chose this book because it skimmed over much of this material relatively quickly without getting as technical as many of the other books I looked at. Unfortunately, I then had to add basic material that wasn't in the book. The latest edition, with a totally rewritten chapter on genetics is somewhat better. The newest editon also incorporates material on recent discoveries in human paleontology. My students have had mixed reactions to this text. Some semesters, they found its presentation of the material unclear and the writing style too digressive. At other times, their reactions were more positive. I'll probably use this book again the next time I teach the course. Whatever the book's failings, this is a textbook that has a place, and it has many good points--including its less technical presentation.